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Hennings Local, Cochecton New York

One day my parents were coming back from buying a new boat (literally so boujee) when they came across a tiny gem called Hennings Local. They walked in five minutes after it opened for the evening, were seated by a fireplace, wore their coats throughout the meal, and came home to brag about the food they had eaten. For real, I had heard about Hennings Local for a good year before they geared up one night and took my brother and I. I fell in love.

This was about five years ago. Since then, Henning, the chef, picked up shop and moved from Ellensville to Cochecton, New York. The ambiance is quite hipster, the waiters and waitresses look like throwbacks to a simpler time. There are fresh mint leaves lining the wall outside on the staircase, they get local deliveries every morning of fish, chicken, steak, and in season vegetables. This place is the freshest of the fresh, the realist of the real, and I love it.

Last night, we arrived to Hennings about an hour early for our reservations after visiting Bethel Woods, where the original Woodstock festival in ’69 took place. We walked around the field and I felt like the casual hippie that I was born to be. The vibe continued into the restaurant where my family, my best friend, and I sat down at a bar lined with homemade syrup for soda and a wide array of liquor. We received the cocktail menu which featured homemade “Oslo Mules” with their own ginger syrup and vodka, along with an assortment of different types of mules. (A mule is a drink traditionally with ginger beer, vodka, and mint- one of my faves). Straying away from my norm, I had a feeling they made a mean Mojito because of the mint… and I was right. We ordered this beautifully presented frozen Mojito. Bella, Bella!

My family and I are HUGE eaters. We sat down, got served Popovers (basically eggy, fluffy delicious English rolls), Gravlocks (fresh fatty salmon with horseradish pepper sauce), a Cobb salad with a huge wedge of iceberg and homemade blue cheese and bacon, annnd a Cesar salad with croutons served in the shape of a pyramid (or a campfire)- my dads absolute favorite! That was just the beginning.

For dinner, my mother got sesame crusted trout, I had trout ala norwegienne (with sour cream and chives), dad had the lamb (with puréed Brussels sprouts), and Laura had chateau briand and mashed potatoes. Other features include the Big Ass Ribe Eye, Crispy Pork Belly, a hamburger for the not so adventurous, sausage, Mac and cheese, and so many other delicious items. I invite you to check out their menu from the link above.

Chef Henning brings some of the absolute best flavors to the Catskills from the moment you get a drink, to the moment you get a dessert. We had a chocolate tart with coconut for dessert, it literally melted. Not to mention Hennings Local is incredibly environmentally friendly with paper straws and cardboard to go boxes, which is what every restaurant should strive to do to cut down on waste. I could go on forever, but just know this place is worth the trip. And if you happen to go to Bethel Woods for a concert, it’s only a hop skip and a jump away, so really, there is no excuse not to go. Reservations recommended, this is not a place to be missed.